The number of people in the UK who have died with coronavirus has gone above 3,000.

The Department for Health announced as of 5pm last night 3,605 people had passed away after contracting the illness.

This is an increase of 684 from the following day.

In other news, a further £5 million will be handed to struggling charities hit by the Covid-19 crisis.

The National Emergencies Trust will provide the money to 46 community groups across the country as part of the next round of a £16m programme - £7.5m has already been awarded.

The government is under increasing pressure to ramp up testing efforts after it emerged just 2,000 of 155,000 NHS staff had been checked.

The aim is to be testing 25,000 people a day as soon as possible and capacity is currently at 12,799.

A press briefing last night heard how a new target is being set to conduct 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month.

Health secretary Matt Hancock - himself struck down by Covid-19 for a week - said the rate of infection is currently doubling every three to four days, with 12,949 now in hospital.

"We will strain every sinew to defeat this virus once and for all," he says.

Yesterday 45 million pieces of PPE were delivered and today Public Health England has released new guidance on what medics should wear to protect themselves.

Mr Hancock reiterates £300 million has been provided to pharmacies and is writing off £13.4 billion of hospitals' historic debt.

He says the roll out of testing is "the fastest in history" but "unlike some countries we did not go in to the crisis with a huge diagnostics industry" and have had to build from a lower base.

He adds there is a shortage of "swabs and reagents" but the swabs issue has been tackled.

"The first priority of testing has to be the patients for which the result could be the difference between life and death and not NHS staff," Mr Hancock says.

He stresses some tests are just not good enough and in one case one he is being "urged to buy" was wrong on three of four occasions.

NHS staff testing is to be expanded, though, with new labs and testing sites to spring up across the country solely for NHS staff and their families.

To date just 5,000 of 550,000 NHS staff have it.

Currently there are 5.7% of doctors absent due to coronavirus.

Mr Hancock is now setting the goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of the month - currently the capacity is 12,799.

"As the Prime Minister said 'mass testing is how we unlock the coronavirus puzzle'," he concludes.

National medical director Stephen Powis says we will still see "a high number of deaths for a few weeks yet until we start to see benefits from the measures we are taking".

Follow our live blog for today's coronavirus updates:

7.05pm - Press briefing

Health secretary Matt Hancock pays tribute to the two nurses, including Kent's Aimee O'Rourke , who have died in the past 24 hours.

He also thanks the public and the team who remarkably constructed London's Nightingale Hospital in just nine days.

There are five more such hospitals being built across the UK.

He says critical care beds have been boosted by 2,500 already and the Nightingale hospitals will add thousands more.

More than 7,000 NHS staff have now been tested for the virus, 2,000 more than yesterday. There are an estimated 550,000 frontline NHS staff.

"The only way to protect yourselves and others is to stay at home... If we relax now people will die," he concludes.

Chief nurse Ruth May worries there will be more deaths among medical staff and pays tribute to both nurses who have died.

She said: "I ask you to remember Aimee and Areema. Please stay at home for them."

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Jonathan Van Tam says trends of people staying at home are "very encouraging".

"This is a global battle and the UK is in the same position as many, many other countries," he adds.

The progress of vaccines and treatments has been "astonishing", he says. He is calling for patients with coronavirus symptoms to volunteer for clinical trials.

Asked about the peak and whether at that point there will be enough ventilators at that point he says he "doesn't know" when the peak will be yet as it is "too soon after social distancing was brought in to say".

He says in terms of ventilators "we are not anywhere close to a scenario where there won't be enough at the moment".

"Are there more people out there than we are counting with case numbers?" Robert Peston asks, pointing out that Patrick Vallance used a ratio of one deaths in every 1,000 patients meaning there may be 4 million cases in the UK.

Prof Van Tam won't be drawn on the figures.

4.30pm - In case you missed it

Ahead of today's briefing here is what's happening in Kent.

Lockdown sees drop in crimes across county.

Kent's hospital death toll now stands at 36.

Shocking moment spitting thief taunts "I've got corona".

2.09pm - 3,605 people have died from coronavirus

As of Friday morning there are 38,168 coronavirus cases in the UK, up 4,450 on the previous Thursday's figure which is a similar jump to recent days.

In total 173,784 people have been tested and 11,764 tests were carried out on Thursday, the highest number yet but some way off the government's end-of-month target of 100,000.

On Thursday 684 more people died from Covid-19 in hospital bringing the UK's total for hospital deaths to 3,605 - China, where the pandemic started, recorded 3,322 deaths.

1.20pm - Be aware of the bonfires

A warning has been issued following a rise in the number of calls to 999 about bonfires since the country went into lockdown.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) believe the increase in fires is due to more people being at home and in isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak. Read more here.

1.11pm -Boxers start fighting for survival

Boxing clubs across Kent are appealing for support during the coronavirus crisis.

Clubs affiliated to England Boxing - the sports national governing body - are running a #KOCOVID19 campaign to raise much-needed funds. Read more here.

1.04pm - ships take part in #clapforcarers

It wasn't just claps which could be heard for our hospital heroes and carers as ships too joined in on the act.

A fleet of vessels sounded their horns from the riverside of Gravesend in a show of mass appreciation for NHS workers last night. Read more here.

12.49am - Apps to help with the kids

An app, which can generate activities for families to enjoy at home is set to come to the rescue of parents stuck indoors this Easter.

The British Toy and Hobby Association has launched the Make Time 2 Play campaign, and with it an interactive download that will be able to suggest things to do based on the ages and number of children stuck at home as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Read more here.

12.26am - Nurse died after contracting coronavirus

Family and friends have told of their heartache following the death of a courageous nurse who had been diagnosed with coronavirus.

Mum-of-three Aimee O'Rourke died yesterday at the QEQM Hospital in Margate, leaving behind three daughters, Megan, Mollie and Maddie. Read more here.

11.37am - Stay at home!

With temperatures set to soar this weekend, people across Kent are being reminded to continue practising social distancing as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

The forecast for Sunday is hazy sunshine throughout the day, with temperatures due to reach 17C in some places. Read more here.

11.04am - Two year sentence for spitting at emergency workers

A police chief has revealed people spitting at emergency workers during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic could get up to two years in prison under new legislation.

Chief constable Alan Pughsley spoke out about his "disgust" towards people who have done this, and said those who do it will feel the full extent of the law. Read more here.

Joe Coshan from KMTV interviewed him this morning

10.45am - Testing

After Matt Hancock promised 100,000 a day by the end of the month, Labour has said it must deliver.

Some experts are sceptical of the health secretary claiming it will be achieved by the end of the month.

The tests would be to see if you currently have the virus and separate screenings will see if you've had it previously.

10.10am - Megabus cancelled

All Megabus services will be suspended by Sunday.

The news comes as the government announces £170 million of funding to help bus services carry on operating.

9.31am - Couple stuck on a cruise

A cruise ship, which has 400 Brits including two from Kent on board, has been struck by coronavirus.

Mick Turnball from Bearsted and his partner - who does not wish to be named - first boarded the Coral Princess on the Chilean coast on Thursday, March 5. Read more here.

7.55am - Seven times Kent residents broke the internet

After a family from Faversham took the nation by storm after by filming their rendition of One Day More from the musical Les Misérables, we looked back on some of the county's previous viral sensations.

The list includes a satirist who lampoons famous politicians and song complaining about the Dartford Crossing.

To read the full story, click here .

7.45am - ICYMI: Thousands in Kent cheer hospital heroes

Hundreds of thousands of people across Kent have once again taken to their doorsteps to applaud our hospital heroes.

For the second week in a row locked-down communities joined forces at 8pm to show their appreciation for the medics on the frontline of the battle against coronavirus.

Landmarks across the county have also been illuminated blue as a sign of solidarity with the NHS. Read the full story here .

7.30am - High street sales fall by 20%

Retailers suffered their worst month on record amid the coronavirus crisis.

Like-for-like sales across Britain's high streets reduced a fifth in March as people opted to stay at home.

7.15am - Prince to open hospital via video link

The country's first Nightingale hospital will be opened later this morning by Prince Charles.

The royal, who recently overcame a case of coronavirus, will take part in the ceremony over video link.

Built in London's Excel conference centre, the temporary facility will initially provide as many as 500 beds before its capacity is increased to 4,000.

6am - New Nightingale hospitals

New NHS Nightingale hospitals will be built in Bristol and Harrogate to provide hundreds of extra beds if local services need them during the peak of coronavirus in addition to those already in development in London, Manchester and Birmingham, NHS England is today announcing.

NHS chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens, will today confirm that sites in the south west of England and Yorkshire - which will have up to 1,500 beds if needed - have joined Manchester and Birmingham as the latest locations for major new facilities outside of London. Each will serve the wider regions in which they are located.

The announcement comes as the first 4,000-bed NHS Nightingale hospital, at London’s Excel centre, will be officially opened today.

For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here

Read more: All the latest news from Kent